Delicious and Healthy

We are often asked how Mooney Farms came to be the largest producer of sun dried tomatoes in the U.S. Here is a short history of our company. We so appreciate all of our loyal customers who have been with us every step of this journey.

( Left. Frank Frates, great great granfather, 1841-1934 Born in Portugal, and Right Frank Freitas Jr, 1878-1961 Born in San Francisco)

Mooney Farms family kiwi ranch in Gridley, California began in 1987. Family farming was always a struggle, and to supplement the family income, the patriarch of the family began to produce an unaltered family recipe, handed down over the generations for sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil. Soon sun-dried tomatoes were out selling Kiwi fruit at the local farmer’s markets in Northern California.

Once customers tasted the sun-dried tomatoes, everything changed. The Sun Dried Tomatoes were a hit because their flavor and premium Mediterranean ingredients appealed to such a large customer base! Sun Dried Tomatoes had become mainstream and their first pallet order sold out in a record 4 hours! The Mooney Family had the winning recipe.

In 1994, Mooney Farms moved to a larger facility located in Chico, California to meet the growing demand for their products. True to the family’s heritage, the 100,000 sq ft facility reflects their family’s rich history of the Mediterranean with 200 year old olive trees planted among the rows of lavender and rosemary. In the tuscan kitchen the original family members still create all of their authentic recipes. In addition, the rustic tasting room and storefront focuses on Northern California local products.

Mooney Farms has a history of using premium ingredients to create a line of healthy Mediterranean products for today’s consumer. It is in this same tradition we invite you to sample some of the area’s finest locally made products. Every item we produce is handcrafted using the bounty of fresh ingredients found in Northern California.

All of our Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes are packed in ONLY 100% pure olive oil, never any low end oil blends. We have stayed true to our original family recipe handed down over many generations.

Please visit our tuscan gift store Monday thru Friday from 10-4. You can learn more about our family business, order a gourmet gift basket, or discover a delicious new way to serve our products on our recipe page at www.mooneyfarms.com/recipes/. We look forward to sharing your next meal with you!